Vehicle front portion structure

ABSTRACT

To provide a vehicle front portion structure that efficiently cools a cooling unit. A duct, whose upper end opens at a cowl panel side and whose lower end opens above a vehicle front side of a cooling unit, is provided at a vehicle front portion. A blower fan is provided at an intermediate portion of the duct. The blower fan is rotated, and external air, that has been drawn-in from a cowl side, can be blown as cooling wind from a lower end side of the duct toward a condenser and a radiator. Therefore, heat exchange efficiency can be improved as compared with a case of only traveling wind that is introduced in from an opening of a front bumper cover.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a vehicle front portion structure.

BACKGROUND ART

Cooling units, such as a radiator that cools an engine, a condenser ofan air conditioner, and the like, are disposed at the front portion of avehicle, and cooling of the cooling unit is carried out by external airthat flows from the vehicle front toward the vehicle rear (see, forexample, Patent Document 1).

[Patent Document 1] WO/2010/097890 DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION TechnicalProblem

However, there are limits to carrying out cooling of a cooling unit onlyby external air from the vehicle front, and there is room forimprovement. In view of the above-described circumstances, the inventionof the present application proposes a vehicle front portion structurethat efficiently cools a cooling unit.

Solution to Problem

A vehicle front portion structure relating to a first aspect comprises:a cooling unit that is provided at a vehicle front portion, and intowhich cooling wind from a vehicle front is introduced, and thatstructures a cooling system of a power unit that drives wheels; andcooling wind introducing means for introducing cooling wind, that hasbeen introduced in from a cowl portion, into the cooling unit.

Operation of the vehicle front portion structure relating to the firstaspect is described next. In the vehicle front portion structurerelating to the first aspect, the cooling unit, that structures thecooling system of a power unit that drives the wheels, is cooled bycooling wind from the vehicle front and cooling wind that isintroduced-in from the cowl portion. Therefore, cooling is carried outmore efficiently than being cooled only by cooling wind from the vehiclefront.

In a second aspect, in the vehicle front portion structure relating tothe first aspect, the cooling wind introducing means is provided with ablower.

Operation of the vehicle front portion structure relating to the secondaspect is described next.

In the vehicle front portion structure relating to the second aspect,cooling wind can be actively led to the cooling unit by the blower, andthe cooling unit can be cooled efficiently.

In a third aspect, in the vehicle front portion structure relating tothe second aspect, the cooling wind introducing means introduces some ofthe cooling wind, which is blown by the blower, into a vehicle cabininterior via an air conditioning unit.

Operation of the vehicle front portion structure relating to the thirdaspect is described next. In the vehicle front portion structurerelating to the third aspect, some of the cooling wind that is blown bythe blower, i.e., external air, is introduced into the vehicle cabininterior via the air conditioning unit.

In a fourth aspect, the vehicle front portion structure relating to anyone of the first through third aspects further comprises: a rain waterstoring portion that is provided at the cowl portion and that storesrain water; and a rain water introducing passage that leads rain water,which is stored in the rain water storing portion, to the cooling windintroducing means.

Operation of the vehicle front portion structure relating to the fourthaspect is described next.

In the vehicle front portion structure relating to the fourth aspect,when it rains, rain water can be stored in the rain water storingportion that is provided at the cowl portion. Further, the rain waterthat is stored in the rain water storing portion is introduced into thecool wind introducing means via the rain water introducing passage. Duethe rain water being sent to the cooling unit by the cool windintroducing means, pollution of the cooling unit can be washed by therain water.

In a fifth aspect, in the fourth aspect, a filter for removing dirt isprovided at a cowl portion side of the rain water introducing passage.

Operation of the vehicle front portion structure relating to the fifthaspect is described next.

In the vehicle front portion structure relating to the fifth aspect,rain water, from which dirt has been removed by the filter, and externalair are introduced into the rain water introducing passage. Therefore,the cooling unit can be washed by rain water from which dirt has beenremoved.

In a sixth aspect, in the vehicle front portion structure relating toany one of the first through fifth aspects, a motor of a compressor thatis used in the air conditioner is used as motive power of the blower.

Operation of the vehicle front portion structure relating to the sixthaspect is described next.

In the vehicle front portion structure relating to the sixth aspect, themotor of the compressor that is used at the air conditioner is used asthe motive power of the blower. Therefore, the number of parts can bereduced as compared with a case in which the motive power of the bloweris provided separately from the motive power of the compressor.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

As described above, in accordance with the vehicle front portionstructure relating to the first aspect, there is the excellent effectthat a cooling unit can be cooled efficiently.

In accordance with the vehicle front portion structure relating to thesecond aspect, the cooling unit can be cooled more efficiently.

In accordance with the vehicle front portion structure relating to thethird aspect, ventilation of the vehicle cabin interior can be carriedout due to some of the cooling wind, that is blown by the blower, beingintroduced into the vehicle cabin interior.

In accordance with the vehicle front portion structure relating to thefourth aspect, the cooling unit can be washed by rain water.

In accordance with the vehicle front portion structure relating to thefifth aspect, the cooling unit can be washed by rain water from whichdirt has been removed.

In accordance with the vehicle front portion structure relating to thesixth aspect, the number of parts can be reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view along a vehicle longitudinaldirection, showing a vehicle front portion structure relating to a firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view along a vehicle transversedirection, showing main portions of a vehicle front portion structurerelating to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is perspective view showing main portions of the vehicle frontportion structure relating to the second embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view along the vehicle longitudinaldirection, showing a vehicle front portion structure relating to a thirdembodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION First Embodiment

A vehicle front portion structure 10 relating to a first embodiment ofthe present invention is described on the basis of FIG. 1. Note thatarrow FR that is shown appropriately in the drawings indicates thefrontward direction in the vehicle longitudinal direction, arrow UPindicates the upward direction in the vehicle vertical direction, arrowIN indicates the vehicle transverse direction inner side, and arrow OUTindicates the vehicle transverse direction outer side, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, a power unit 16, such as an engine or the like thatdrives the wheels, is disposed at the front portion of a vehicle body 12at the vehicle rear side of a bumper reinforcement 14.

A front bumper cover 18 is disposed at the vehicle front side of thebumper reinforcement 14. An opening 22 is formed in this front bumpercover 18 in order to blow cooling wind to a cooling unit 20 that isdescribed later.

An HVAC (heating and ventilating air conditioning) 28, that serves as anenvironment controlling unit (air conditioning module) of the air withinthe vehicle cabin, is disposed above a floor panel 26 that is at thevehicle rear side of a dash panel 24. The HVAC 28 is structured toinclude an evaporator, a heater core, a PTC heater, various types ofventilation ducts for carrying out blowing of wind to the vehicle cabininterior, duct switching devices for switching the ducts that blow air,and the like.

The cooling unit 20 is disposed beneath the dash panel 24. The coolingunit 20 is structured to include an unillustrated compressor, acondenser 30 that is connected to the evaporator of the HVAC 28 andstructures a heat pump, a radiator 32 that carries out cooling of thepower unit 16, an electric fan 34, and the like.

Note that, at this cooling unit 20, the condenser 30, the radiator 32and the electric fan 34 are disposed in that order from the vehiclelongitudinal direction front side. Further, a before-the-radiator duct36 is disposed at the vehicle front side of the cooling unit 20.

A front hood 38 is provided at the top surface of the front portion ofthe vehicle body 12, and a front windshield glass 40 is provided at thevehicle body rear and upper side of the front hood 38. A cowl panel 42,that is frame-shaped and extends along the vehicle transverse directionand whose vehicle body upper side is open, is provided at the lower endedge portion of the front windshield glass 40 and beneath the rear endportion side of the front hood 38.

A cowl louver 44 is disposed along the cowl panel 42 at the vehicle bodyupper side of the cowl panel 42. A space S that extends in the vehicletransverse direction is formed between the cowl panel 42 and the cowllouver 44.

A duct 48 that serves as a cooling wind introducing means extends in thevertical direction at the vehicle front side of the dash panel 24. Anopening portion 46 is formed in the cowl panel 42, and an upper end 48Aside of the duct 48 is inserted into this opening portion 46 andprojects-out into the space S. On the other hand, a lower end 48B of theduct 48 is disposed above the vehicle front side of the cooling unit 20and opens toward the condenser 30.

A blower fan 50 is disposed at the intermediate portion of the duct 48.The blower fan 50 is rotated by an unillustrated motor. When the blowerfan 50 rotates, external air is sucked-in from the upper end 48A of theduct 48, and the external air (cooling wind) is blown from the lower end48B of the duct 48 toward the condenser 30 and the radiator 32.

(Operation)

Operation of the vehicle front portion structure 10 of the presentembodiment is described next.

When the vehicle travels, cooling wind W1, that is introduced-in fromthe opening 22 of the front bumper cover 18, flows beneath the powerunit 16 toward the vehicle rear side, and is blown toward the coolingunit 20. Note that the cooling efficiency of the condenser 30 and theradiator 32 can be improved due to the electric fan 34 being driven.

Moreover, in the vehicle front portion structure of the presentembodiment, the blower fan 50 is rotated, and external air that issucked-in from the cowl side can be blown as cooling wind W2 from thelower end of the duct 48 toward the condenser 30 and the radiator 32.Therefore, the efficiency of heat exchange can be improved as comparedwith a case of only the cooling wind W1 (traveling wind) that isintroduced in from the opening 22 of the front bumper cover 18.

Due thereto, it becomes possible to make the cooling unit 20 compact andlighten the weight thereof, and the degrees of freedom in placement ofthe cooling unit 20 also can be improved.

Second Embodiment

The vehicle front portion structure 10 relating to a second embodimentof the present invention is described in accordance with FIG. 2 and FIG.3. Note that structures that are the same as those of the firstembodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptionthereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in the vehicle front portion structure 10of the present embodiment, a concave portion 52, that collects and canstore rain water that has flowed into the cowl panel 42, is formed inthe cowl panel 42. Note that the bottom portion of the concave portion52 is at the lowest position of the cowl panel 42.

The upper end 48A side of the duct 48 is inserted in an opening portion20A that is formed in the bottom portion of the concave portion 52. Inthe vehicle front portion structure 10 of the present embodiment, theupper end 48A of the duct 48 is disposed at the bottom portion of theconcave portion 52, and rain water 55 that has accumulated in theconcave portion 52 flows into the duct 48. Note that the duct 48 of thepresent embodiment is the cooling wind introducing means of the presentinvention, but also serves as the rain water introducing passage of thepresent invention. A filter 54 is mounted to the upper end 48A of theduct 48 so that dirt and the like do not enter into the duct.

Moreover, a drainage duct 56 is mounted to the concave portion 52. Theupper end of the drainage duct 56 is disposed further upward than thebottom portion of the concave portion 52, and is provided for use inoverflow so that rain water does not overflow-out from the concaveportion 52. Note that the rain water that has flowed into the drainageduct 56 is drained-out toward the bottom of the vehicle.

Note that, in the present embodiment, the blower fan 50 is rotated by amotor 60 that drives a compressor 58 that is a part that structures aheat pump that is connected to the HVAC 28.

(Operation)

Operation of the vehicle front portion structure 10 of the presentembodiment is described next.

In the vehicle front portion structure 10 of the present embodiment, dueto the blower fan 50 being rotated, external air, and the rain waterthat has accumulated in the concave portion 52 of the cowl panel 42, arepulled into the duct, and the pulled-in external air and rain water 55can be blown onto the condenser 30 and the radiator 32. Due thereto, thecondenser 30 and the radiator 32 can be washed by the rain water 55, anda deterioration in cooling efficiency due to pollution adhering to thecondenser 30 and the radiator 32 can be suppressed.

Further, in the vehicle front portion structure 10 of the presentembodiment, the blower fan 50 is structured so as to rotate by the motor60 that drives the compressor 58. Therefore, the number of parts can bereduced as compared with a case in which the blower fan 50 is driven bya motor that is exclusively used therefore.

Third Embodiment

The vehicle front portion structure 10 relating to a third embodiment ofthe present invention is described in accordance with FIG. 4. Note thatstructures that are the same as those of the above-described embodimentsare denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof isomitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the vehicle front portion structure 10 of thepresent embodiment, a communication passage 62 that communicates withthe HVAC 28 is formed at the side portion of the blower fan 50 at thelength direction intermediate portion of the duct 48. A first flap 64that opens and closes the communication passage 62 is provided at thiscommunication passage 62.

Moreover, a second flap 66 that opens and closes the duct 48 is providedat the duct 48, further toward the cooling unit 20 side than the blowerfan 50.

(Operation)

In the vehicle front portion structure 10 of the present embodiment, ina case in which external air that has been introduced in is to be sentinto the vehicle cabin for example, by opening the first flap 64 andclosing the second flap 66, the external air that is sucked-in at theduct 48 can be introduced into the HVAC 28 via the communication passage62, and the blower fan 50 can be made to have the function of a usualblower fan at the vehicle cabin interior unit.

On the other hand, in a case in which external air that has beensucked-in at the duct 48 is to be blown to the cooling unit 20, itsuffices to close the first flap 64 and open the second flap 66.

Note that it is also possible to set both the first flap 64 and thesecond flap 66 in open states.

Other Embodiments

In the above-described embodiments, cooling of the radiator 32 and thecondenser 30 is carried out by cooling wind. However, cooling of a partother than the radiator 32 and the condenser 30, such as an intercooler,an oil cooler, or the like for example, may be carried out provided thatit is a part that is to be cooled.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but thepresent invention is not limited to the above description, and, otherthan the above, can of course be implemented by being modified invarious ways within a scope that does not deviate from the gist thereof.

1. A vehicle front portion structure comprising: a cooling unit that isprovided at a vehicle front portion of a vehicle cabin outer side of adash panel, and into which cooling wind from a vehicle front isintroduced, and that structures a cooling system of a power unit thatdrives wheels; and a cooling wind introducing member that introduces,into the cooling unit, cooling wind that has been introduced in from acowl portion that is disposed further toward a vehicle front side thanthe dash panel.
 2. The vehicle front portion structure of claim 1,wherein the cooling wind introducing member is provided with a blower.3. The vehicle front portion structure of claim 2, wherein the coolingwind introducing member introduces some of the cooling wind, which isblown by the blower, into a vehicle cabin interior via an airconditioning unit.
 4. The vehicle front portion structure claim 1,further comprising: a rain water storing portion that is provided at thecowl portion and that stores rain water; and a rain water introducingpassage that leads rain water, which is stored in the rain water storingportion, to the cooling wind introducing member.
 5. The vehicle frontportion structure of claim 4, wherein a filter for removing dirt isprovided at a cowl portion side of the rain water introducing passage.6. The vehicle front portion structure of claim 3, wherein a motor of acompressor that is used in the air conditioner conditioning unit is usedas motive power of the blower.
 7. The vehicle front portion structure ofclaim 2, further comprising: a rain water storing portion that isprovided at the cowl portion and that stores rain water; and a rainwater introducing passage that leads rain water, which is stored in therain water storing portion, to the cooling wind introducing member. 8.The vehicle front portion structure of claim 3, further comprising: arain water storing portion that is provided at the cowl portion and thatstores rain water; and a rain water introducing passage that leads rainwater, which is stored in the rain water storing portion, to the coolingwind introducing member.